Bulgaria Recognises Minorities

AIM Sofia, 5 March, 1999

"Farewell to arms, farewell to patriotism, we have buried nationalism", declared Bulgarian prime minister Ivan Kostov after ratification of the General Convention of Minority Rights. The document which has in the past two years become the cause for heated debate in the parliament was approved with the impressive majority of two thirds of the votes of deputies. Only deputies of the Socialist Party (BSP), three independent deputies and representatives of VMRO in the ruling league of United Democratic Forces (ODS) voted against it.

The favourable result of voting was achieved thanks to the reached agreement on adoption of the Convention with an accompanying declaration the essential meaning of which is that the Convention must not be used for making separatist demands. Deputies of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) who protect the right of the Turks in Bulgaria also took part in formulation of the text of the declaration.

Ratification of the Convention marks that Bulgaria has recognised the existence of national minorities which has not been recorded in a single official document before. That is why a part of the deputies, those of VMRO inclusive, demanded that a text be included which says that there are no minorities in Bulgaria and that it is a single-ethnic state. However 114 deputies voted against this formulation.

For the first time in an official Bulgarian document the word "minority" is mentioned already in the preamble of the accompanying declaration. It is stated in it that the country is "engaged in implementation of the policy of protection of human rights and tolerance towards members of the minorities". "In this way we are offering the possibility to all kinds of dubious subjects to express such aspirations which can blow up civil peace and endanger national security and territorial integrity of Bulgaria", declared leader of VMRO, Krasimir Karakacanov.

Representatives of BSP refused to the last minute to give consent to the use of the word "minority", insisting that expression "minority groups" be used instead. "After you adopt this document, who will prevent prime minister Kostov and the self-styled leader Kamen Burov from recognising the Pomak minority (Pomaks are Bulgarians of Muslim religion) and are there guarantees against aspirations of OMO Ilinden that Macedonian minority really exists", leader of Socialists Geogri Prvanov wondered.

Of course, there are no such guarantees and this became clear very quickly. Leader of the newly registered party OMO Ilinden - Pirin, Ivan Sungarijski declared that his party would fight for recognition of Macedonian minority in Bulgaria. In order to be reistered in court which had for years been impossible, this organization was forced to omit the formulation from its statute that it would protect interests of the poulation from Pirin Macedonia, and refugees from Aegian and Vardar Macedonia. "We will stick to what we are allowed to do. When the party spreads and we establish branches in all parts of the country, if our members agree we will consider the question of minority and language", declared Ivan Sungarijski.

Leader of the unregistered Turkish Democratic Party Adem Kenan demanded that Bulgaria be transformed into a multiethnic state and that minorities be given administrative and cultural autonomy. "We wish to have out schools, courts and theatres, and not to divide the state", said Kenan.

In fact, the Convention on ethnic minorities was adopted primarily in order to regulate the status of the Turks in Bulgaria. Resolving of this painful problem has been postponed for years because all the ruling parties were afraid of separatist actions. Turkish population consists of 850 thousand persons and it is concentrated in the eastern part of the country. "There were one and a half million of us when they changed our names by force", declared deputy of DPS Ahmed Husein. In the past ten years, a large number of people emigrated to Turkey in search of better living. In this sense, BSP officially apologised for the so-called "reformation process" as the process of forcible change of Turkish names that took place in 1985 was called.

The opinion of deputies of DPS was of great significance for the final variant of the declaration. In the beginning the leadership of the generation was resolutely against ratification of the Convention with the accompanying declaration. The later variant was made through participation of all the opposition parties. Literally overnight, leader of DPS Ahmed Dogan was forced by members of his party to repent for the text that the principles of the Convention be implemented in accordance with national legislature. In this way the Constitution of the country is obeyed and DPS has certain reservations concerning it, more precisely the provision that parties established on ethnic principle were banned. "If we approve of this text, then it means that we recognise that the now valid legislature is perfect, and we have certain demands concerning it. Our consent would deprive the 10-year existence of DPS of every sense", was the resolute stand of deputies of DPS. After that they decided not to vote in favour of the initial variant of the declaration. In the end, however, they gave up on the demand that the Convention be ratified without the accompanying declaration and accepted the final variant.

What do the minorities get with this Convention? Primarily, identity, but who needs identity nowadays? The presence of the Turks in Bulgaria is an undoubted fact and nobody is denying it. The Armenians and the Jews are not too keen on proclaiming themselves a minority because they have assimilated and they have no reason to be discontented with the attitude of Bulgaria to them. The Romanies also have to need for identity, what they need is protection of their human rights. According to the leader of one of Romany organizations, Toma Tomov, there are no national minorities in Bulgaria, just ethnic and cultural ones, like the Romany community. In such a situation, fear remains that some day aspirations of Pomak or Macedonian minority might be manifested. However, pursuant the signed declaration between Bulgaria and Macedonia, Macedonia will not express aspirations for the existence of the minority in Bulgaria.

From the practical point of view, minorities will also be given the opportunity to officially use their language which was not permitted by the Constitution so far. The right to an interpreter at court has been included, since the Turks who do not speak Bulgarian used to be in comic situations there. This will eliminate fear of a new "reformation process"; the Turks, Romanies, Jews and others will be free to establish religious institutions, organizations and associations. The only problem that remains is overcoming the traditional Bulgarian nationalism, and this cannot be resolved by adoption of a single declaration.

AIM Sofija

GEORGI FILIPOV